While Nokia is definitely holding its own over in India, especially with devices like the Nokia Lumia 520, we suppose it wouldn’t hurt if Microsoft were to try and court some of India’s top OEMs if they wish to gain an even larger share of the Indian market, and that is apparently what they are trying to do. This is according to The Times of India who reports that Microsoft is looking to woo some of India’s smartphone OEMs, the top 3 to be exact, in hopes that they will produce Windows Phone devices. The reason is because these OEMs are said to be in control of about 32% of the Indian smartphone market and having them produce Windows Phone handsets would definitely be a boon for Microsoft and help them gain market share quickly.
At least one of them has agreed to come aboard, and they are none other than Xolo, a subsidiary of Lava, who has promised to release a Windows Phone device come 2014. Micromax, one of the three and the second largest in India, admits to be in talks with Microsoft although at the moment they are still haggling over licensing fees, which they admit is a pretty big obstacle especially considering that Android is free. Lastly would be Karbonn who at the moment is neither confirming nor denying that the company is in talks with Microsoft. The Windows Phone licensing fee is currently at $25, if the rumors are to be believed, which is understandably expensive if companies were to mass produce devices. Will Microsoft’s efforts in India be successful? We guess we will have to wait and find out.
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